Harvey Weinstein has been targeted by federal prosecutors, lawyer says

WASHINGTON (AP) — Harvey Weinstein's lawyer said in a court filing that federal prosecutors in New York have launched a criminal investigation into the film producer, in addition to a previously disclosed probe by the Manhattan District Attorney.

Attorney Benjamin Brafman said in a declaration filed on May 3 in the Weinstein Co.'s bankruptcy proceedings that he had been advised that Weinstein was a "principal target" of an investigation being conducted by the U.S. attorney's office in Manhattan.

"I am trying my very best to persuade both the federal and state prosecutors that he should not be arrested and or indicted, because he did not knowingly violate the law," Brafman wrote. He said the allegations that Weinstein forced himself on women were "entirely without merit."

"As the court can appreciate, saving someone from unwarranted criminal prosecution is far more significant that having a baseless prosecution implode months or years from now after Mr. Weinstein's life and the lives of his family have been irreparably destroyed," he added.

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Producer Harvey Weinstein was a Hollywood power broker for decades before a series of sexual harassment charges saw him ejected from his company as well as a variety of top filmmaker associations. Jordan Strauss, Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

Kevin Spacey, seen here in 2016, has reportedly lost both his agent and publicist as a result of his sexual-harassment scandal. He's also been completely replaced in his latest movie. NICHOLAS KAMM, AFP/Getty Images

Software engineer Susan Fowler's blog post about sexual harassment and misconduct at Uber ignited an uproar, toppling CEO Travis Kalanick and unleashing a series of revelations in Silicon Valley that led to the ouster of two technology investors. Will Oliver, European Pressphoto Agency

Anchor Bill O'Reilly was the high-paid face of Fox News before The New York Times revealed that the host had reached payout settlements with half a dozen women who had accused him of sexual misconduct. Fox fired O'Reilly in April after advertisers pulled out of his show, "The O'Reilly Factor." Richard Drew, AP

Dozens of women have accused Bill Cosby of using date-rape drugs to molest them throughout his career. The accusations, which ended in a June mistrial, caused NBC and Netflix to cancel programming discussions with the comedian in 2014. Matt Rourke, AP

Fashion photographer Terry Richardson, who has taken photos of Beyonce, Rihanna and Miley Cyrus, was banned by Conde Nast for sexual assault allegations that have been circulating since 2010. In a statement, Richardson admitted he sometimes behaved in a sexually explicit manner during photo shoots. Richard Shotwell, AP

In August, producer Isa Hackett accused Amazon Studios chief Roy Price of making unwanted sexual remarks. It wasn't until after the Weinstein scandal broke that Price was forced out of his high-profile job. Barry Brecheisen, AP

One-time New Republic literary editor Leon Wieseltier apologized to past staffers for behavior that accusers say included inappropriate touching. The Emerson Collective immediately pulled its support for a magazine Wieseltier was set to publish. June 9, 2013 photo by AP

Mike Oreskes resigned as NPR's senior vice president for news after two women accused him of kissing them while discussing job prospects when he worked for the New York Times in Washington, D.C. Chuck Zoeller, AP

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Scores of women have accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct ranging from inappropriate comments to rape. Weinstein is under criminal investigation in Manhattan, Beverly Hills, Los Angeles and London. He has not been charged with any crimes, though police in New York have said publicly that they believe there is enough evidence to make an arrest.

Two law enforcement officials confirmed that Weinstein has been under federal investigation. The officials were not authorized to speak to The Associated Press and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Brafman did not immediately return a message from the AP on Wednesday but told The Wall Street Journal that he had met with federal prosecutors "in an attempt to dissuade them from proceeding."

Sex crimes, aside from child pornography cases, are usually handled by local prosecutors under state law, but federal charges can be brought under certain circumstances if a person brings a victim across state lines for the purpose of a sexual assault or the attack happens on federal lands.

In the bankruptcy case, Brafman sought access to emails and correspondence under the control of the Weinstein Co. to help him in his defense efforts.

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Those documents included emails that he said showed that women who have accused Weinstein of violent assaults later exchanged friendly messages with him. The bankruptcy judge ultimately granted access.

The company sought bankruptcy protection in March.

A Delaware bankruptcy judge approved a private equity firm's purchase of the Weinstein Co. Dallas-based Lantern Capital offered to pay $310 million in cash for the Weinstein Co.'s assets and to assume $127 million in project-related debt. It also agreed to cover obligations related to the assumption of certain contracts and leases.